Stuart Lancaster’s huge squad will breed competition for places

England have not made many hard decisions yet.

By announcing a 50-man squad
today, which stretches to 53 with three players still being considered when
they return from injury, Stuart Lancaster, the England coach, has left the
door as wide open as he possibly could.



Yesterday, France named a considerably smaller World Cup training squad of 36.


It is, of course, entirely Lancaster’s prerogative to go the other way.

But
he has a mighty strong idea already of who will be in his 31, so you wonder
how necessary it was to select 50 or 53.

Can the quality of